Wetlands & WaterBirds: Getting to know migratory birds
Wetlands & Waterbirds is a collaboration initiated in 2021 with leading researchers from the Center for Environment and Sea Studies (CESAM) and the University of Aveiro. The goal of this project is to use state-of-the-art tracking technology to address knowledge gaps on wetland Biodiversity, specifically the ecology of waterbird movement and habitat use.
Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems that provide a wider range of ecosystem services, provide food resources and serve as flood protection, and in many cases even capture carbon - as with blue carbon sequestered by coastal wetlands.
In the Wetlands & Waterbirds project we are aware that, despite international recognition and conservation agreements, these ecosystems have declined globally by 21% over the last three centuries. Most of these losses, which occurred mainly during the 20th century, were concentrated in Europe, the United States and Asia.
Healthy coastal wetlands are home to thriving communities of aquatic organisms. And while condition assessment requires the measurement of several parameters, new screening technologies can be implemented to monitor the ecology of waterfowl movement and habitat use.
Surprisingly, highly detailed information on how protected waterfowl species move within wetlands and use available habitats (intertidal areas, salt marshes or rice paddies) remains elusive. This makes a holistic assessment of wetland status using these winged biological indicators difficult.
It is to fill this gap that the Wetlands & Waterbirds partnership was created , through the donation of GPS devices equipped with miniature solar panels and high-efficiency batteries to track the movement of major water bird species. With the data collected, current scientific knowledge is strengthened, gaining a detailed understanding of the habitat use of these species.
These solar GPS devices, which can weigh as little as 5 grams, use UHF or GSM signals to provide the collected information, reducing interactions with these waterfowl: researchers capture the bird only once, releasing it after the tag is deployed.
Tracking technologies that also incorporate 3D accelerometer devices are the next step in this project, making it possible to collect information about which habitats are used for specific behaviors, such as feeding, roosting, or nesting.
The data collected under Wetlands & Waterbirds allows us to assess the status of wetlands as well as their Biodiversity. And with long-term monitoring, the waterbirds tracked will inform us of further changes in these wetlands - hopefully such changes will show increased use of natural habitats.
MAIN RESULTS
In the first year of the partnership, thanks to the donation of 8 state-of-the-art GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters, it has already been possible to follow the migration of several Spoonbills - an estuarine species that is expanding and starting to nest in Portugal.
In 2022, Bondalti offered another batch of high-tech transmitters adapted for three protected and small species: the Redshank, the Black-bellied Sandpiper, and the Grey Plover.
Thanks to the large amount of satellite data obtained, researchers now have a more detailed knowledge of the population status of different migratory birds. Knowledge of their migration routes, stopover sites, and preferred habitats for nesting, feeding, or sheltering is decisive information for conservation plans for these protected species and the wetlands that host them.
SDG
"Lost Habitat" is aligned with one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of greatest strategic relevance to Bondalti, 15 - Protect Terrestrial Life, by promoting the knowledge that enables ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of sensitive and endangered habitats, such as wetlands.
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